Bowser (Revision 1178)

Mario's had one primary nemesis since the NES days, and that nemesis is none other than Bowser. Bowser is the King of the Koopas, a race of evil turtles (and other enemies) that depend on simple havoc-wreaking for their livelihood. This mostly involves numerous invasions of the Mushroom Kingdom, where Mario, his brother Luigi, and his beloved Princess Peach dwell. Bowser almost always manages to capture Peach, forcing Mario (and sometimes Luigi) to come to her rescue. This has been the case since Super Mario Bros. was released on the NES in 1985, and with the exception of the Stateside Super Mario Bros. 2 (known as "Super Mario USA" in Japan), there are no notable exceptions where Bowser isn't the bad guy in a Mario game.

Bowser's evolution has been more subtle than many Nintendo characters. He appears much the same as did back in the mid-80's, with some minor modifications adding to his castle-dwelling original appearance. In Super Mario Bros. 3, he took to the air in a flotilla of airships, while in Super Mario World, he tried to do Mario in with nothing more than his airborne Koopa Clown Car. And yes, Bowser is a father. His six sons, daughter, and "junior" version of him are all Mario haters as well. Unfortunately for them, Bowser is the only Koopa representative in all of Brawl. But fear not -- he's a veteran at this point, first appearing in Super Smash Bros. Melee back in 2001.

Command List

Here is a complete list of all of Bowser's moves, in addition to how to perform them and the amount of damage they deal.

Input

Move

Damage

Notes

Attack

Claw Swipe

5%

A standard swipe attack.

Attack (repeated)

Double Claw Swipe

10%*

A two-hit attack (5% each%) which can do 10% damage maximum.

+ Attack

Upward Claw Swipe

12%

This attack can be handy for juggling your opponents. Also, because of its long-range, it can also nail ground-based enemies behind you.

+ Attack

Low Double Claw Swipe

25%

A two-hit attack (14%, then 11%) which can do 25% damage maximum. However, the second swipe rarley lands unless you're close to the opponent and they're low on health.

/ + Attack

Punch

11%

A standard punch.

/ + Attack (while running)

Ram

11%

This causes Bowser to ram into his opponents, knocking them back.

Attack (while hanging)

Ledge Attack

8%

A standard ledge attack -- use it when someone's trying to edge guard.

Attack (midair)

Shell Spin

13%

While airborne, attack without pressing a direction on the control stick to do a shell-spin. However, you're generally better off using one of your directional aerial attacks, as they'll send your opponent flying further.

/ + Attack (midair, facing away)

Shell Smash

15%

A rear shell smash attack -- great for knocking recovering enemies out of the arena.

+ Attack (midair)

Upward Claw Swipe

17%

An upward claw swipe; use it to juggle airborne enemies.

+ Attack (midair)

Upside Down Shell Spin

29%*

Bowser's upside down shell spin can hit a maximum of 10 times for a total damage report of 29%. Sounds pretty awesome, right? Unfortunaley, the attack rarely hits 10 times, and usually inflicts around 10%, if you're lucky. But to maximize its effect, launch the attack as close to the enemy as you can.

/ + Attack (midair)

Meteor Smash

11-13%

This move will knock your opponent sideways quite a distance; try to nail recovering opponents with this to knock them out. The damage inflicted seems to vary, though we're unsure why.

Grab + Attack

Headbutt

3%+

After grabbing an opponent, mash on the attack button to headbutt them. The amount of times you can do this varies depending on how much damage your opponent has taken. Ideally, you want to throw them before they break free.

Grab +

Upward Throw

10%

An upward throw. After tossing them, launch into an arieal combo before they can regain their composure. You may also want to throw an opponent upward when their % is high and they're near the top of the screen, such as on the top-row of blocks in World 1-1's underground area.

Grab +

Ground Fall

12%

The most useless of the three different throws, since the opponent doesn't get flung very far. Only use this if you don't care about throwing the opponent outside the arena, and want to damage them further.

Grab +/

Side Toss

10%

This throw will toss your opponent to either side. Throw them behind you for added distance.

+ A (simul.)

Head Smash

15-28%

Bowser's up-smash attack is useful for hammering opponents straight up. However, the damage it deals varies increases depending on how long you charge it and how close to the opponent you are.

+ A (simul.)

Shell Shock

21-29%

Bowser's down-smash attack is a 7-hit attack that is excellent for edge-guarding. While the damage it deals varies increases depending on how much you charge it and how many hits actually connect, the different is rather minor. As such, don't worry about charging it too much, and worry more about timing it right.

/ + A (simul.)

Head Smash

21-46%

Bowser's side-smash attack is one of the best for launching an opponent off of the arena. However, the damage it deals varies increases depending on how much you charge it, and how far away you are from your opponent.

Special

Fire Breath

1%+ or 2%+

Bowser's fire breath may only deal 1% or 2% in damage for each hit (the closer you are, the more damage inflicted), yet because it's difficult to escape, it can often cause 30% in damage or more. It's particularly useful if you happen to nail all of your opponents at once. Just keep in mind that your fire breath's strength and distance decreases noticeably after about five seconds or so, and it takes about the same amount of time for it to recharge. Oh, and one more thing, press up and down on the control stick to change Bowser's aim.

+ Special

Whirling Fortress

35%*

Bowser's recovery move is perhaps one of the worst in the game. It provides almost no vertical height, and a modest amount of distance. However, it can be a very powerful offensive tool, often belting upward of 30% in damage, depending on how many hits that connect. Try to launch into this as an opponent falls toward you for maximum damage.

+ Special

Bowser Bomb

20-24%

The Bowser Bomb is a devestating ground-pound attack that will send opponents careening. It can be launched either from the ground or the air. If launched from the ground near an opponent, he'll deal 4% damage as he jumps up, then an additional 20% when he lands on him. If launched from the air, he'll simply slam into the ground for 20% damage on anyone nearby. However, be careful, as Bowser's still vulnerable to attack while slamming down.

/ + Special

Flying Slam

18%

Bowser's can grab his opponents at any time (even in the air!)and body-slam them into the ground for 18% damage. Keep in mind that while you can direct where you land by pressing on the control stick, your opponent can too (their influence is less if they have a high damage %). Also, watch out for those ledges! It's almost too easy to send both your and your opponent flying off the stage to certain doom. However, this can actually be helpful in rare circumstances, such as in a stock match where your opponent has only one life left, and you have at least two -- simply grab them and fling both of you off the ledge for an instant victory.